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Nearly one in every 100 Cambodians between the ages of 15 and 49 years is living with HIV infection. Some people with AIDS are widows with children who ended up living in the slums after they sold their house and farmland to pay for their husbands’ medical expenses. They face extreme hardship and discrimination.
Friendship with Cambodia has a Small Loan Program for these widows who are affected by HIV/AIDS and a Vocational Training Project for their children. The small loans help them start small businesses in order to increase their income and improve their quality of life.
Some of the businesses they have started are selling: vegetables, phone minute cards, meat, flowers, rice, chicken, pig feed, fish, fruit, or cakes. We also fund training for their teenage children to become a tailor or beautician.
Participants in our programs earn enough income to support their families. They can now cover the cost of food, rent, and their children’s education.
A loan for $100 will dramatically improve life for a family living with AIDS.
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